The Night of Museums stays a focal point in the cultural calendar of the Bucharesters, who, on Saturday night, formed long queues in front of museums.
At its 11th edition, the Night of Museums is one of the most popular and longest running cultural events for the general public, celebrated at European level. Initiated by the Ministry of Culture and Communication in France, the event draws annually hundreds of thousands of participants in Romania. The Night of Museums takes place every year on a Saturday, on or around May 18 – International Museum Day, a holiday established by the International Council of Museums (ICOM).
This year, approximately 14,000 people visited the “Grigore Antipa” National Museum of Natural History in Bucharest with the occasion of the Night of Museums. Also, Bellu Cemetery in Bucharest turned into a “happy cemetery” on arias of operetta and musical, while in many museums, valuable items such as paintings by Nicolae Tonitza and Nicolae Grigorescu were covered as a sign of protest.
Among the valuable works covered in sign of protest towards the museums’ dramatic situation were the paintings “Tataroaica” by Nicolae Tonitza at Artmark, and “Panselute” by Nicolae Grigorescu, at ArtSafari, the bust of George Enescu, etc.
For one evening, the Capital had also a “happy cemetery”. Thus, in the Bellu Cemetery was staged the “Dolce Vita” concert, artists of the “Ion Dacian” Operetta and Musical Theatre having mesmerized the Bucharesters with live performances of the highlights of famous operetta and musical performances. Moreover, after the show, visitors were proposed a “Meet Joe Black” movie screening which started at 22.30. Bellu Cemetery in Bucharest was visited by 25,000 people.